Hi Thomasb53,
It seems odd that a Council would be selling Crown land – perhaps there’s some mix-up in the terminology here? Might be some differences between the States?

At any rate, the only party with current legal access to the land is the adjoining owner (owner of the farm) and therefore is the party given the first offer (possibly the only…[Read more]

Hi Gilad,
An easement can only be removed by agreement with the authority the easement is in favour of (i.e. the ‘owner’ of the sewer mains). In order to remove an easement, it would have to no longer be required for its existing purpose, which sounds unlikely from what you’ve described.

However, in terms of a site redevelopment, an easement need…[Read more]

Alistair, Adrian, Tony, Gill,
Hope all is well with you and the other group members.
Are any arrangements underway for a future meeting? If you need help to organise, I’m happy to help – just PM or email me as I’m very infrequently on this forum.
I hope to catch up with all of you soon,

Leila

Hi Guys,
Wed 18th sounds fine to me – maybe do it at a (fairly quiet) restaurant so that we can combine with dinner and keep it pretty informal? As Tony suggested at the last meeting, starting at the beginning – asset protection, finance etc. would be good topics for a speaker if this can be arranged.

Gill, can you please forward me the email…[Read more]

Hi Landt,
Agents certainly come up with some classic lines, don’t they! I would simply proceed as planned (assuming it’s not sold next week), and if it sells, it sells. In terms of doing your due diligence, you’re not yet in a position where you’re happy to make an offer. If the property’s not sold the agent is being very foolish as they should be…[Read more]

Hi All,
I’d just like to second Adrian’s comments – Gill, I was very sorry you couldn’t make it and hope all’s well at your end(hope to see you and Sharon at the next meeting). Tony was a brilliant source of inspiration once again and it was great to meet some of his colleagues and enjoy the comfy chairs. It was also great to see some more new…[Read more]

Hi Herb,
It sounds like you’re going well with your investigations. I’ve been thinking of doing the same with my PPOR (although this would be a couple of years away at least) which is on a large block on a main road, and near consulting rooms and a hospital. I’ve been looking at price/demand information for selling/renting out consulting rooms,…[Read more]

Hi Jackal,

Congratulations on deciding to take the leap into property investing – great post, by the way. It sounds like you’re doing the right thing, getting to learn the property market and making contacts. I’ve recently bought a first IP, so I won’t pretend I’m an expert on all things related to this, but I have had the experience of having…[Read more]

Shawn,
I have had experience with organising assessment and remediation of contaminated sites for my employer. I would also suggest contacting the EPA Victoria for further guidance.

While clean up can be done, it can be very expensive, and can take a significant amount of time. Council are likely to expect you to demonstrate that this has been…[Read more]

Looking at the photo, it really does look like two houses. Some significant modifications definitely required if it’s only to be one house. Having said that, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the owners, even if they were deliberately trying to circumvent the ‘official’ system, they’re certainly going to be stuck with some major costs now!…[Read more]

Hi Alex,
Here are my thoughts:

For a bathroom – keep the colour scheme very neutral – white tiles are always good (when I was renting, I really preferred these as you can easily tell when they’re clean). And, of course these are easy to match. Avoid mosaic tiles – more grout = more cleaning/dirt showing. Taps/showerheads are best in a silver…[Read more]

Hi Anne,
Get in touch with a land surveyor, they will be able to explain how the process works. There are lots in the yellow pages, just make sure they’re a member of the professional association – I believe it’s still called the Association of Consulting Surveyors.

Good luck!
Leila

Hi Wayne,

If you think it’s worthwhile to pay the $185k, perhaps you can negotiate more favourable terms – maybe a longer settlement to allow you to get the funds together?

Other than that, I know it’s easy to say, but try and be detatched. It’s just one deal, another one will come along.

Good luck!

Leila

Try Grays Auctions in Cheltenham – http://www.graysonline.com.au for details of “renovators auctions”.

Happy shopping!

Leila

Dates on the Section 32 docs can also be a giveaway. Recently saw one with docs issued a year ago!

Haven’t heard of any websites that can tell you this, but if you find a source of this info, I’d be interested to know!

Sometimes it can really help to have that little extra bit of info to help the negotiations along!!!

Good luck,

Leila

Hi JD,
It’s worth a try! Probably better than a calculation.
Good luck,

Leila

Hi Woodsman,

On the whole, I would say that the intentions of Melb 2030 are good. I particulary like the intentions to prevent urban sprawl and protect Green Wedge areas. Obviously, there are flaws – such as highlighted by VCAT decisions relating to development in “Activity Centres” – and government has not responded well to community pressure to…[Read more]

Hi JD,
I have to agree with the opinions expressed by Michael in regard to legal problems arising about how profit share should be calculated. I too have seen this become problematic. It can occur when the terms of the contract are being negotiated, or later down the track when you discover that the expectations regarding the meaning of ‘profit’…[Read more]

Thanks for all the great suggestions – I’m putting together a folder with all the ideas and have been out today costing new timber windows – the old aluminium ones are the big ‘problem’ area for the house, along with the brick cladding.

The point several of you made about shopping around was reinforced for me today. My husband and I are trying to…[Read more]

Wow – talk about some pretty cool ideas!

Kitchen hose tap, skylights, bathroom dresser, outdoor areas, knocking out/removing walls are all brilliant ideas. Some of them clearly a bit more challenging than others. Also think finding a cheap source of furniture is really helpful as suggested.

Textured paint sounds very interesting – luckily my…[Read more]